


That One Kid

by Latent



Category: The Yogscast
Genre: Gen, Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-22
Updated: 2015-07-04
Packaged: 2018-03-02 19:45:22
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 12,483
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2823851
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Latent/pseuds/Latent
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Nobody really knew anything about Lalna. He was simply the shy, quiet, blond boy with no friends. Or so... it seemed.</p>
<p>Just a bit (more than that...) of Rythna.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Blondie

**Author's Note:**

> Just some random dream I had once. Decided to write it. Expect a horrible story, because I am NOT GOOD at writing.

Rythian groaned and flung himself onto Zoeya's bed, head hanging upside down off the side. "I don't get it! Why do the teachers assign homework on Fridays?! I want to ENJOY my weekends, to be honest!"

Zoeya laughed and sat down at her desk. "They're just ridiculous..."

The two high schoolers had just finished the school day. They were an unlikely pair, the two of them. Rythian, the supernatural obsessed, extraordinarily tall kid who always wears a purple scarf around the bottom half of his face. And Zoeya, the mushroom loving, red haired, lesbian hipster. Somehow their friendship just... worked.

Rythian nodded and stared out the window. "Your mom is so cool... letting me stay over tonight." Zoeya closed her eyes and leaned backwards. "Yeah, she is. But it's only because she knows I like girls. If not, there's no way she'd let me sleep over with a GUY." They exchanged glances, and burst out laughing. Rythian adjusted the scarf around his face and muttered, "I wonder what the others are all doing..."

Zoeya tapped her nails on the desk. "I heard a few things... like Sips and Sjin hitting the skatepark... And Teep's off to the library with Nilesy as usual." Rythian nodded slowly and sat up. "Sounds interesting..." Zoeya sighed and added, "But, I kind of wonder what Lalna is doing."

Rythian stopped and blinked. "Wait, who?" "The shy kid." "You mean the blond one? Why him?" Zoeya swiveled around in her chair. "Because I never see him talking to anyone. I'm kinda worried that maybe he doesn't have any friends..." Rythian flopped back over. "Well, I wouldn't be surprised if he doesn't." "Rythian!" "What?! I mean because he doesn't talk to people!"

They sat in silence again before Rythian cleared his throat and continued, "Tell you what... we'll talk to him on Monday." Zoeya stood and pushed the chair back. She hopped up and sat next to Rythian on the bed. "But Monday might be too late! It's only Friday afternoon! I don't want him to have a lonely weekend..." Rythian clicked his tongue and started to twist his foot around. "Ahhh... maybe... but I have no idea where he lives... or what his number is. If he even HAS one..."

Zoeya sighed and laid back as well. "Right... Maybe we can walk around tomorrow and try to run into him?" Rythian laughed quietly. "Because that won't make us look suspicious AT ALL! But sure, if you really want to." Zoeya squealed and hugged him. "Thank you, Rythian! Now... let's go get some pizza. VEGGIE STYLE. I'm practically starving!"

The two of them stood up, and left the house. It was about 4:00 in the afternoon, and it seemed that everyone wanted to be outside today. The weather was nice, the sky was bright, AND it was Friday. Rythian and Zoeya decided to walk, and even passed a few school friends along the way.

The walk wasn't too long, only about twenty minutes. The two of them climbed the steps, and pushed open the glass door.

The pizzeria was practically a reunion. There were high school students practically flowing out the door. Apparently, everyone wanted pizza today. Including Lalna himself, who was sitting in the back, alone. Zoeya nudged Rythian in the stomach, and pointed to him. They both looked over at him. Lalna didn't SEEM sad... in fact, he was pretty emotionless while eating. White hoodie, gray pants, black shoes, pretty boring and normal. He wasn't the tallest, but Lalna wasn't short either. He wasn't large, but not thin either. Lalna was simply... average. Aside from the fact that he was rumored to be an albino, just because of the nearly white skin and extremely blond hair. They haven't been able to check his eye color tough, because Lalna never takes off those goggle styled sunglasses.

Rythian and Zoeya make their way over, shoving past anyone in the way. They both pull out chairs and sit down. Zoeya smiles warmly at Lalna. "Hi! Do you mind if we sit here?" Lalns simply shakes his head and gives them both a small smile. Sensing the awkward silence, Zoeya added, "If you don't mind me asking... do you... EVER talk?" Lalna answered quietly, "Not often... but sometimes..." They were both gobsmacked for the moment. Lalna's voice smooth and satisfying, and reminded Rythian of chocolate fountains. A little louder he added, "Only when needed... I guess..." Zoeya smiles again. "Your voice is so pretty though! You need to talk more often." Even Rythian was cracking a grin under the scarf. "Agreed."

Lalna laughs quietly. "I could give it a shot, I suppose... want some pizza? It's Veggie." Zoeya squealed and almost vaulted the table. "OMIGOSH YOU LIKE VEGGIE PIZZA?!" All heads in the pizzeria slowly turned and faced them. Zoeya's face went red, and she sat back down quietly. Lalna suppressed a snicker, and Rythian facepalmed.

"Zoeya... oh my god..."

Before anyone could say anything else, the t.v. flickered on. The building went quiet, as all wanted to hear the news report.

A female journalist sat at the table, looking directly into the camera. "Good afternoon, Tekkit City! We have breaking news, just recently reported to us. Another skyscraper has been defaced by the Neon Boy."

The Neon Boy wasn't a new criminal. He and his gang of night runners we well known in the huge city, notorious for their neon colors. They broke into places, stole things, assassinated, owned the night, and painted the city. There are an estimated four members. Each of them have designated colors. The neon boy himself was green and pink, which led many to believe that the he was a she. The other members follow the patterns of; blue and orange, yellow and red, and purple and white.

The journalist continued, "It seems to simply be an image of a green and pink lightning bolt. The bolt glows brightly in the dark, and doesn't look like it'll be washing off anytime soon. A full-scale repainting had to be scheduled."

The pizzeria was sent into excited whispers. High schoolers ADORED the neon boy and his gang. They each dreamed of joining themselves, and doing the things they do. Some went as far as leaving letters on rooftops, the rumored path of travel for the neon gang.

Zoeya grinned and looked up into nowhere. "Wow... the neon boy is so. AWESOME!" Rythian smiled at her and shook his head slowly. "More like, dark and dangerous..." Lalna nodded. "And kind of stupid. They're all going to get caught one day." Zoeya rolled her eyes at them. "Oh hush. You're both just jealous that the Neon Boy had more game then you two COMBINED." Rythian and Lalna exclaimed in unison, "HEY!"

The pizzeria door swung open, and two boys ran in, practically barreling their way through the crowd. It was Sips and Sjin, of course, looking for Rythian and Zoeya. They approached the table and sat down immediately, wasting no time with introductions. The five students sat in utter silence before Sjin noticed Lalna and said, "Oh, hey. It's Lalna, right?" Lalna nodded, and Sjin let out a triumphant laugh. He poked Sips and said, "YOU, owe me five bucks." Rythian raised an eyebrow at him. "...He does?" Sjin nodded. "Yep! Because Sips and I were arguing over what Lalna's name was. Sips was under the weird impressing that it was Duncan." Sips rolled his eyes. "I see how it is! Never talk to a guy and get his name wrong. BIG DEAL. Anyways, that's not why we're here. Sjin and I think that we can catch that neon kid!"

Lalna started coughing like mad, and had to set down his drink. The others stared at him like he was crazy. Lalna managed to mutter, "Wrong...pipe...I'm fine...." between coughs. They nodded, and Rythian said to Sips, "How do you expect to do that?" Sips laughs and pulls out a folded piece of paper. "It's all written here. And we're not telling you, because then you'll steal the prize for yourself!"

Zoeya, Rythian, and Lalna exchanged confused glances. "Umm... what prize?" Sips frowns, and Sjin gapes. "Seriously? Do you KNOW what those neon guys are charged with?! Like, SO many things! They've got like... million dollar rewards for the capture of them, ESPECIALLY the ringleader! And us, being struggling high school students, could use a bit of extra cash."

Zoeya rolled her eyes. "Awww come on guys, don't be such party poopers!" Lalna adjusts the goggle glasses on his face. "Are you sure those guys aren't going to... oh I don't know, KILL YOU for trying to stop them?" Rythian nods silently, agreeing with them. Sips smirks at him. "Trust me. If I know anything, it's that people in a state of mercy ain't tough. Yeah they might act all cool now, but as soon as that neon boy's tied up, he'll be a weak and powerless baby."

Lalna tilted his head at them. "Wow... that actually makes... a lot of sense..." Zoeya glanced down at her phone. "Oh man... it's like 7:00 PM..." She looks over to Lalna. "Hey Lal... you want to spend the night at my place? Rythian's staying over as well..." She and Rythian looked at him expectantly. Lalna shifted in the chair before replying, "Ehh... well... I guess I can... sure, why not?"

Zoeya and Rythian cheered. Sips and Sjin stood, pushing their chairs backwards. Sips straightened up and said, "Right. You three have fun. Sjin and I will remember you when we're famous!" The two dirt lovers ran, knocking over a few chairs.

The three students left shook their heads slowly, Rythian and Lalna facepalming.


	2. Escape

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Quite simply, the next chapter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I still have no idea what I'm doing.

Lalna followed Zoeya and Rythian to Zoeya's house. It had gotten dark, and they made sure to stay close to the streetlights. Rythian pulled his scarf higher. "You think we'll run into any neons?"

A flash of blue and orange next to them on the street answered their question. Lalna started walking faster. "Guys... faster. Don't forget, the neons are also assassins. They're ruthless, and won't hesitate to kill..."

They huddled closer together, and started moving at an almost jogging pace. Zoeya ran up the stairs to her house, and flung open the door. When Rythian and Lalna got inside, she turned around and slammed it closed, locking it.

Zoeya's mother, and shorter, red haired woman, walked into the hall slowly and looked at them nervously. "Oh Zoeya dear, are you and Rythian alright? I saw a neon right outside..." She spotted Lalna and added, "And who's this?"

Zoeya smiled at her. "Hey mom... yeah, we're fine. And this is Lalna, a good friend from school. I invited him to stay as well, if you don't mind..." She shook her head "Oh I don't mind at all... I'm just glad the three of you are safe."

After a few minutes of introducing and talking, Zoeya led Lalna and Rythian to her room. Zoeya sat at her desk as usual, while Lalna and Rythian took the bed. They laughed and talked for a while before Zoeya asked, "Hey Lalna, Quick question."

Rythian fell silent, and they both looked at Lalna. He tilted his head. "Hmm?" Zoeya pointed to his goggle styled sunglasses. "How come you've never taken those off? Follow up question, what color are your eyes anyways? They like, red or something?" Lalna laughed and answered, "Oh, no, they're green. And I just like to wear them? No idea. I was told not to take them off... only if I'm like showering or sleeping or whatever."

Rythian and Zoeya bother smile and whisper, "Coooooool...." before forgetting about it completely.

Sips and Sjin however, were putting their plan into motion. They had gathered Xephos, Honeydew, and Ridge to help. They all stood in a ring outside in the dark. "Alright people." Sips began. "Tonight, that neon boy is caught. And it's by US." They all cheer. "And we will be strong!" More cheers.

Rythian, Zoeya, and Lalna were asleep. Well, Rythian and Zoeya were. Lalna was wide awake, deep in thought. He stood up, and quietly unzipped his white hoodie. He balled it up and threw it on the ground before shuffling into Zoeyas bathroom.

Lalna walked out five minutes later, totally changed. He had a black hoodie jacket, one string neon pink, the other neon green. His pants were black as well, as were his boots. The boots were laced like the hoodie strings were, one side neon pink the other side neon green. Lalna had fingerless gloves, one pink the other green. Finally, he set the goggles on his head, revealing extraordinarily bright, glowing green eyes. Lalna sighed and went back into the room. He slowly and quietly walked over to the window, and slid it open. He was about halfway out before he heard shuffling behind him. Zoeya sat up from her bed and stared at him. "...Who are... who are you?"

Zoeya couldn't see Lalna's blond hair. And to her, it looked like he was coming INTO the room, and not leaving it. Lalna blinked at her, and pulled his other leg out. "Hey... hey you wait!" Zoeya started to kick her covers off. Lalna gave her a small wave before speeding off leaving a trail of neon pink and green. He ran down the street, breathing heavily. "Oh fuck... I'll have to explain that later..." A female voice said beside him, "What, you fuck up again?" Lalna turned to face her. "Oh hey, Latent. Good to see you. And yes, majorly. I'm in deep shit."

Latent, the blue and orange neon laughed. "Of course you are... that's so typical. Don't get yourself killed, alright?" She poked Lalna before running off on her own, painting the walls. Lalna rolled his eyes before running again, pulling out two spray cans and leaving permanent marks.

Zoeya scrambled over to her window and ran her fingers through the neon trail left by Lalna. Her eyes went wide. "Rythian, Lalna! Guys!" Rythian shot up from his sleeping bag on the floor. "Woah, what?! WHERE'S THE FIRE?!" Zoeya pointed excitedly to the trail. "He was here! The neon boy was right in the windowsill!" Rythian stood and walked over, also running a hand through the trail. "Holy shit..." Zoeya looked back into the room. "Hey Lalna, wake up!" She stood and shuffled to his sleeping bag. "...Lalna?"

Zoeya saw the empty spot and dropped hoodie. "What...? Where is...?" Zoeya flung a hand to her mouth and fell over backwards. Rythian ran over and leaned down. "Zoeya! Zoeya? What's wrong? Where's Lalna?" Zoeya pointed to the window slowly. "The... he's... the neon boy had... neon green eyes... but.. he had goggles on his head, Ryth. Lalna's... the neon boy..." They looked at each other, wide eyed, mouthes open. "Holy shit..."

Lalna continued to run, leaving his trail of glowing neon. That is, until he rounded a corner and collided with someone. Lalna hit the ground and held his head, cursing under his breath. He heard people shuffling around him, and a familiar voice say, "Well well well... who do we have here? Mr neon boy, I presume. Lalna quickly shoved the goggles in his pocket, and prayed to god they didn't notice the blond hair.

Two sets of arms seized him from behind, while Sips and Sjin stood in front of him. Sips pulled out a flashlight and turned it on, aiming for his face. Lalna squinted against it, the light in his eyes. Sjin laughed. "Oh look... even his HAIR is neon pink." Lalna sighed. Thank god neon paint stains well... "Your face looks kinda familiar, though..."

Sips lowered the light slightly. "Ridge has already called the police. You're games are over." Lalna stood silently, not daring to make a sound. "Cat got your tongue? We can always change that..." Xephos and Honeydew, who had his arms, bent them together tighter. Lalna squeaked slightly, but still didn't say anything. "You're so stubborn, you know?"

Before anything else could happen, someone cried, "HEAD'S UP!" before a motorcycle barreled through, making a trail of yellow and red. It skid to a halt in front of them, causing Xephos and Honeydew to release Lalna, who shot up immediately and jumped to the side. Sips grabbed his ankles, and the two of them went rolling down a hill, clawing and tearing at each other. The motorcycle neon launched herself after them, and pulled Lalna up. "Yooo hey!" Lalna rolled his eyes and jumped on the motorcyle, with the new neon jumping being him. He started the engine, and sped off, ditching Sips, Sjin, Honeydew, Xephos, and Ridge. The trail changed to a green and pink one. "You know Phoe, I probably would've died if you didn't show up. So, thanks for saving my ass. Again..."

Sips and the others collapsed in furious rage. "WE HAD HIM! WE FUCKING HAD HIM!" Sjin put a hand on Sips' shoulder. "Don't worry, we'll get the neon kid eventually..." He held the same hand out to him and smirked. "He dropped this..." Sjin handed him some kind of woven bracelet. A green and pink one, of course.

Rythian and Zoeya went out looking for him. "Lalna!" Zoeya yelled, standing on top of a bench. Rythian joined her and called out, "LALNA! Come back! We need to talk to you!"

Phoe, Lalna, Latent, and Geo (the purple and white neon) watched them from the top of a building. Latent turned to Lalna. "Can you trust them?" Lalna nodded slowly. "Yeah... yeah I think so. You guys get back to work. They're no harm... I'll talk to them." The team nods and runs off, leaving their signature colors. Lalna leaped down, and landed square in front of Rythian and Zoeya. They both screamed, and launched backwards. Lalna lifted his hands in the air. "Sorry, Sorry!"

Zoeya leaned forward and stared at him. "You're... you're the neon boy... but... ALSO... Lalna? Lalna... you're the... neon boy...?" He nodded slowly. "...Yeah..." Rythian shook his head. "How... just. Just... HOW?!" Lalna laughed quietly. "Ah... well... funny story..." He looked up at him.

"But... PLEASE... don't tell anyone..." Something about those eyes just hypnotized Rythian. "Ok... we won't. Because we're your friends." Zoeya nods. "Promise!" Lalna smiles and pulls them both into a hug. "Thank you... Thank you so much!" They both hugged him back, and laughed.

Sips took a picture of the woven bracelet and put it online, asking the high school students if they know who's it is. They waited a full hour before anyone replied. Sjin read aloud, "It's that blond kid's. His locker is next to mine, and I saw it under his hoodie sleeve a while back." Sips, Sjin, Xephos, Honedew, and Ridge's mouthes hung open. Surely there's no way it could be Lalna, right? Sjin shook his head. "There's no way... hang on. I got his number at the pizzeria earlier... I'll talk to him...."

While Rythian, Zoeya, and Lalna were sitting in Zoeya's room unable to fall asleep, Lalna's phone rang. He saw that it was Sjin, and swallowed hard. "Oh what does HE want...?" Lalna picked it up and answered, "Uh... hello? Sjin? It's like 2:00 AM what do you want?"

"Are you missing a bracelet?" Lalna clasped a hand to his wrist. His bracelet was gone. He decided to play it off. "Yeah... wait, why?" Lalna heard hushed whispering on the other line, and could immediately tell he was on speakerphone. Sjin coughed and continued, "We have it." Lalna thought quickly and exclaimed, "Where did you find it?! I lost that thing months ago!" More hushed whispering. "Wait... you DIDN'T loose it only an hour ago?" Lalna scrunched his face and said, "Sjin... it's two in the goddamn morning. I was asleep, at Zoeya's house." Sjin scoffed. "Oh yeah? Put her on." Lalna laughed. "I'll do you one better."

He switched to speaker phone, and set it on the bed. Zoeya and Rythian both said, "Heeeyyyy Sjin." Even MORE hushed whispering. Zoeya coughs and says, "Sjin, you wre THERE when I invited him over." She paused before adding, "This isn't about that neon fucker, is it? Sjin, we're trying to sleep!"

"Right... sorry..." He hangs up, and looks at the others. "Right. So, not Lalna. Just a kid who really liked his bracelet."

Lalna hung up and frowned. Zoeya looked at him. "What's wrong? I thought that went pretty well...?" Lalna shakes his head and mumbles, "Call ME a neon fucker why don't you..." Rythian laughed, and Zoeya said, "OH MY GOD, SORRY! I only said it because.. he... Sjin..." Lalna rolled his eyes. "Zoeya. It's fine."

The three of them looked at each other, laughed, and fell asleep completely.


	3. Bit of Backstory

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The story carries on!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Someone help me I still have no idea what I'm doing.

Sips, Sjin, Xephos, Honeydew, and Ridge stayed up all night. They took an empty basement in Sips' house and transformed it into their base of operations. Sjin had taken a picture of the Neon Boy's face, and tacked it to the cork board. They did the same with his bracelet. Sips stood back and stared at the room. "Wow. This looks like... really professional." The four others nodded in agreement. Ridge held up a flask with something green and glowing in it. "I got a sample of that neon stuff. It literally turned the flask into some kind of.. glowstick?"

Rythian, Zoeya, and Lalna couldn't sleep either. Rythian was messing around with some of the neon left over on the window sill. "Hey Lalna... can you explain how all that is possible? Just the fact that you leave.. trails?" Lalna nodded and said, "Well, it's kinda interesting really. Not even I can really explain it myself. The neon we use isn't even real neon. It only has the glowing property. Our version is something totally different, actually, that I made myself. It's called Neodeginite. Nontoxic, vibrant, and permanent in some cases. It can stain the air, making those trails you see. The trails disappear with time because they aren't as dense as our actual paintings." Rythian nodded, and Zoeya grinned. "Wow! That's insane! But what I still don't get is how. How did all this start? How did you... DO this, and why? Do your parents know?"

Lalna sighed and looked at the ground. "I don't... I don't have parents. Actually, why don't I just tell you the whole thing..."

He cleared his throat and began, "Well, it all kind of started when I was about five. As a kid, I still didn't have very many friends. But, I talked to other people a lot more than I do now. So one day, things were going absolutely perfectly. My family was all outside, and we were just enjoying a dinner. Mom, dad, even my older brother Livid, who NEVER talked to us showed up. The four of us were outside, and sunset was only minutes away. I was on the edge of the deck, swinging my feet around off the edge. This moment was just too happy I guess. A group of guys... Around seven of them... came out into the backyard. They just flung the door open, as well. Probably searched the house for us first, then ran to the back. Apparently, these seven guys had some... past... run ins with my parents. For whatever reason, they wanted us GONE. They unleashed major gunfire, just DESTROYING the area. My older brother pushed me over, and dragged me under the deck with him. I'll be honest, I've had better days. The noise lasted a full twenty minutes before we finally heard the people leave. The two of us crawled out, and Livid had to cover my eyes. The scene was horrid. I might have thrown up..."

Lalna pauses and looks up, tears in his eyes. "Livid... we discovered... was shot. Before he died, he gave me his woven bracelet. That old pink and green one Sjin called about. It must have slid off when Xeph and Honeydew grabbed my arms..."

Zoeya held up a hand. "Woah woah WOAH WAIT. They CUAGHT you?!"

Lalna nodded. "Yes. But that's not important right now. Anyways, Livid gave it so me and said, "Lalna, never back down. Never hide unless you do something illegal and dangerous. Give the world a big 'Fuck you' and do what makes you happy. Forget the past, and change the future." and fell. He fell in front of me. So I ran to the forest, abandoning the old house. While in there, I decided to get my revenge. As a five year old kid, it was hard to just forgive people. And it wasn't long until I was found and dropped in an orphanage, either. While there, I basically overtook the basement, and created my Neodeginite. Days of working with that stuff caused my eyes to change from blue to neon green, which is why I always wear those goggles. I also discovered only tonight that my HAIR changes to neon pink instead of blond when I'm out running. And thank god it does, because Sips, Sjin, and the others would have recognized me if not. Back to the story. The reason I went with bright, neon colors is because the group who killed my family wore gray, beige, brown, and black suits with fedoras and all. They were like, the classic mafia gang. So I made MY group the exact opposite. Three of my orphanage friends joined me, and we became the neons."

Rythian and Zoeya listened carefully, legitimately interested in his story. In the end, they were wide eyed, mouthes open. Rythian blinked a few times. "Woah... I always assumed the neon boy just wanted to be a dick for no reason..." Lalna laughed. "Of course not! It's also ironic that those beige colored bastards become business partners in extreme cases. Other than that, they're our competition."

"Wow, really?! I thought you'd rip their throats out the first chance you got!" Lalna nodded. "I WOULD have, but they paid good money to be left untouched. I was even able to get a house that we all moved into! I charge them monthly, of course." Zoeya laughs. "Wow. You have something interesting worked out there."

Sips stared at the glowing flask. "What the hell even IS this stuff?" Ridge shrugged. "It's nothing I've ever studied, that for sure." Xephos nods in agreement. "Ditto... it's like... a whole new thing..." Honeydew shrugged. "That Lalna kid's pretty smart, maybe you could ask him?" Sjin shook his head. "Maybe... but we'd have to wait until Monday. I have a feeling we've bothered him a bit much lately." The five of them agreed to approach Lalna about the substance on Monday.

Lalna laughed as well. "Yeah... I guess we do! Just four orphans trying to live."

"So... do the others Neons go to our school?" Lalna nods. "Yeah, actually. We go by different names than we do on the streets." Zoeya turns and looks at her bedside clock. 3:00 AM. "Oh do you now?" He nods again. "Yeah. Though it really depends on what we call each other and when. Of course I'd never call Latent, LATENT at school, but she still might call me Lalna on the streets."

"Ahhh... ok. What are the names, anyways? If you don't mind me asking..."

"Nah, you're fine. Just... don't tell anyone. Well first there's Latent, orange and blue, who's at school as Lily."

"Wait... LILY?! As in, the girl who wears glasses and always hangs out in the library?!"

"Heheh yeah. We're probably the people you least suspect." Rythian pulls his scarf up. "You got THAT right! If someone told me last week, that LALNA was the Neon Boy, I'd have sent them straight to the nuthouse. Like, no way no how."

Lalna laughed. "Oh god really? I guess I'm good then. Anyways, moving on. There's Phoenix, or Phoe, who you know as Lomadia."

"What's your guy's deal with the letter 'L'? And isn't that Xeph's girlfriend?"

"No idea. And yes, yes it is. Last but not least is Geo, who you'd call Littlewood."

Rythian and Zoeya nodded slowly, and leaned backwards. "Woah. I really had no idea. This... this surprises me. But what's your name?"

Lalna grinned. "They call me Knight Peculiar."


	4. Laying Low

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> And the story carries on, with no sign of the Neon Boy anywhere!
> 
> Sips finally tells the others why he wants to catch the Neons as well.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love comments... you all should comment more. Heheh I'll be honest, I have no idea if this story is any good or not. I've got no way to tell.
> 
> (Also, wouldn't it be awesome if Neodeginite was a real thing?!)
> 
> One more thing. I need you to tell me if there's something wrong with the chapters. TELL ME, PLEASE. Are they too rushed? Too confusing? This is really only my third story, and I'm still trying to improve. (Also I write these at 4:00 AM, when I have time. So sorry if they're a little... half-baked) Anything helps!
> 
> And, if you're reading the day of upload, Merry Christmas! (Or, whatever you celebrate :3)

That weekend was extraordinarily... eventless. No sign of the Neon Boy OR his group for that matter. Teenage girls everywhere were going insane over the disappearance of their favorite "rebel".

Sips believed he knew what was up. Sips gathered his usual neon hunting gang ( _Basically; Sjin, Xephos, Honeydew, and Ridge_ ) together to lay upon them his wisdom. "It's OBVIOUS that the neon boy is hiding because of us! We DID catch him after all... So it only makes sense for him to be laying low around now! I've got my money on a few days. If he isn't back out by then, it's only safe to assume the Neon fucker and his glowsticks ditched town."

In reality, it was Zoeya's fault that Lalna hasn't been active. She had convinced him to stay inside and hide for a while. That is... if stuffing and locking a person in a closet can be considered convincing.

"GOD DAMMIT ZOEYA, LET ME OUT!" Lalna slammed a closed fist into the wooden closet door, surprisingly not breaking it down. "Sorry Lalna, but I can't do that!" Zoeya laughed and leaned against it with Rythian.

"WHY THE FUCK NOT?!"

Zoeya rolled her eyes. "Because then you'll go outside! Besides, it's not like anyone out there is really gonna miss you!"

A moment of pure silence passed before Lalna quietly mumbled, "Wow. That was fucking low." She grins and moves away from the door. "So is this." Lalna, who was leaning against the door on HIS side, collapsed in a heap on the floor. 

"BLOODY HELL, ZOEYA!" She leaned over and shoved her hand in his face. "Well... that's what you get!" Lalna looks up from the floor, frowning. "What the fuck did I do?!"

Zoeya and Rythian cross their arms and shoot him an "Are you fucking kidding me" look. He shifts positions and forces a fake innocent expression. "Whaaaaat..?" They rolled their eyes and shook their heads. Lalna pulled himself up and brushed out his white hoodie. "Right. Now what."

Rythian and Zoeya shrugged, and the three of them stood there in silence.

"We could... go outside maybe? Just... because I don't usually go out as... Lalna. It might be nice to just... walk."

~~~

"We'll be back later, mom!" Zoeya shut and locked the front door behind them. Lalna tightened the goggles around his eyes and took a deep breath. "Wow... It feels amazing out here..." Rythian laughed and rested a hand on Lalna's shoulder. "Nice, isn't it? You should take a break from all the crime." He nodded and smiled. "I would have sooner, though... I didn't have any outside friends. But when you started talking to me yesterday afternoon... Oh my god... my LIFE was made!"

Zoeya paused midway on the stairs. "Oh...really? I didn't know it meant THAT much to you." Lalna looked back at her, still smiling. "Are you kidding me?! I was so shocked that I couldn't even smile! I spent my whole life believing that the neons were all I had, and nobody would talk to me. EVER. So when you two just waltzed on over and sat down with me, I was... so... happy."

"And then," He continued. "You actually got me to speak! Look at me! I'M TALKING! I've said more words in the past day than I have in my ENTIRE LIFE. Of course as soon as we get back to school, I'll just totally break down again. But I don't think I mind that anymore..."

Rythian and Zoeya beamed, eyes shining. Zoeya practically flew down the remaining steps, tackling Lalna into some kind of death hug. He tumbled to the ground, Zoeya on top of him. "GAH...HA?!... Can't....breathe....ZOEYA!" Rythian facepalmed and leaned over both of them, trying to shove Zoeya off.

"Uh... what the fuck are you three doing?"

Looks like the three fan favorites weren't the only ones out for a stroll. Sips and his Anti-Neons stood there in front of them in a threatening formation. Lalna froze, terrified. Zoeya rolled off onto the ground, and looked up at the group. "Oh hey, Sips, Sjin, Honeydew, Xephos, Ridge! What are you guys up to?"

Sjin chuckles quietly and points at them on the ground. "We could ask you the same thing! In fact, we did. Care to...explain?"

"Oh sure. The three of us decided to go for a walk. Then Lalna told us he was an ORPHAN. Did you guys know that? And I felt really bad so I... hugged him." Rythian scoffed and rolled his eyes. "Please. Hugged is a MAJOR understatement." He pulled his scarf up more and turned to Sjin. "She (American) football tackled him."

Xephos, Honeydew, and Ridge looked down at Lalna. Xephos smiled at him. "I don't believe we've really met...?" Lalna shook his head and sat up. "Still don't talk much I guess?" He shook his head, but smiled back. Rythian folded his arms. "Oh please. I could hardly get that guy to shut up."

The five anti-neons' eyes widened in surprise. Sips pointed to Lalna and exclaimed, "Lalna... Wouldn't shut up? LALNA?! As in, the kid who barely spoke a SINGLE SENTENCE to us yesterday?!"

Rythian nodded slowly. "Oooooh yeah. Had to lock him in the goddamn closet." Lalna frowned and pulled himself up. He rested his hands on his hips and muttered, "For fucks sake you just HAD to bring that up again..." The anti-neons stepped back and had to do a double take. Xephos whispered, "Holy shit he actually speaks..." Ridge nodded and added, "And he sounds really nice...."

Lalna blinked and tilted his head at Ridge. "Pardon...?" Ridge says again, "You sound... REALLY nice. Your voice is just satisfying to listen to." His face went red, and Lalna looked at the ground. "Ehhhh.... that's interesting. I... don't know... how to respond to that."

Zoeya finally stood up from the ground. "Right! Anyways! It was great running into you five, but you still never mentioned why you're out here!"

Sjin facepalmed. "Oh right. We're..." Sips cut him off and said, "We're fuckboy hunting."

Rythian, Zoeya, and Lalna tilted their heads. "Uhhh...?"

Sips rolled his eyes. "Neon Boy's getting the shit beaten out of him, that's what."

Lalna gulped and shuffled slightly behind Rythian, who frowned at them. "Neon Boy? What's that guy ever done to you?" Sips crossed his arms. "Well last night that fucker broke my nose AND got away. My family can't afford to pay my tuition, Ryth. We may not have uniforms and all, but we still pay to go to Minecraft High. Nobody really knows why, but Tekkit City has some weird rules. Anyways, I also know for a fact that we are SERIOUSLY behind in house bills and shit. So, sorry for not wanting to be an uneducated WRECK living on the side of the street."

He pursed his lips before adding, "That and he's a wanted murdering fugitive. I dunno, why do you think?"

Rythian, Lalna, and Zoeya blinked, mouthes open. Rythian pulled his scarf up higher again and whispered, "Wow... I'm sorry... I had... I had no idea..." Lalna frowned slightly, honestly not knowing what to do at this point. Either get caught and probably be executed to help Sips and his family, or continue being an illegal gang leader and NOT save Sips.

"I guess we should leave you to get hunting then. Make sure to put a bullet through his head." Rythian and Zoeya whipped around to face Lalna, who had zero expression whatsoever. They stared at him like he was absolutely insane. Maybe that Neodeginite screwed up his brain.

The anti-neons nodded, and continued on their mission.

Lalna stood expressionless, almost smiling. Zoeya ran over to him, almost stumbling over. "Lalna, are you INSANE?! DON'T GIVE THEM IDEAS LIKE THAT!" He sighed and shook his head. "Ehhhh I know... But now I feel like a Grade-A asshole." Rythian made his way over as well. "Lalna, it's not your fault." Lalna shrugged, completely ignoring the both of them. He was making a plan, and he planned on carrying it out.

"Yeah, yeah... that's great Rythian." He started moving backwards slowly. Rythian glared at him. "Don't. You. Move."

Lalna laughed slightly and stood still again. "Whhhaaaat..? I'm not doing anything!" Rythian and Zoeya moved in closer. "Are you even listening to us?!"

He stuck an arm out. "Nope!"

One flash of red and yellow later, Lalna was gone. He was grabbed by Phoenix on her motorcycle. "HAHAHAHA I'LL BE BACK SOON, GUUUUUUYS!"

Rythian and Zoeya watched him disappear into the distance. Rythian furiously screamed, "GODDAMMIT LALNA YOU GET THE FUCK BACK HERE RIGHT NOW OR I SWEAR TO GOD THAT I'LL GIVE YOU A FUCKING CONCUSSION!!"

Lalna, backwards on the motorcycle, laughed as Phoenix swerved around. "Ahhh... yeah. I'm screwed for sure. BUT, that doesn't matter right now. Also, thanks for the pickup." Phoenix." She turned around, and lifted the helmet. "Not a problem, Peculiar! I saw the whole thing. And I think... I know what you have in mind."

On the way to their destination, Lalna changed into his neon outfit. Hair now bright glowing pink, he remained backwards on the motorcycle, leaning against Phoenix. "And it feels good to be like THIS again... fucking Zoeya and Rythian locking me inside. HA. Nice try..."

The motorcycle suddenly started screeching to a halt, causing a horrible screaming noise. "GAH OVERSHOT THE BUILDING!"

Lalna rolled his eyes, surprisingly still stable on the back. "You better hope the area isn't crowded."

As the motorcycle FINALLY reached a halt, the two neons took the time to scan their surroundings. Lalna groaned. "And the ENTIRE CITY decided to be here today. For fucks sake we've been spotted." Phoenix laughed quietly, watching as the bystander's mouthes dropped open. "Maybe we hid for too long. I kinda like the attention." Lalna messed with the goggles on his head, and jumped onto the pavement. "Yeah... Well let's hope we don't get recognized as Lomadia and Lalna then..."

The Neon duo walked up together, as bystanders were too shocked to even move. At one point, reality decided to fuck with Lalna a bit. A medium sized group of pink and green clothed girls screamed, and started running full speed over to them. "IT'S THE NEON BOY!"

Lalna himself then screamed, and bolted forward, leaving a neon trail. "FUUUUUUUUUUCK!!"

Rythian and Zoeya rested on Zoeya's bed. Rythian was steaming with anger, fists balled. "Oh he's done it now. Lalna's getting his ass kicked." Zoeya sighed and stared out the window. "Alright Rythian. You do that."

An hour passed, and Lalna had still not yet returned.

The anti-neons, hungry and exhausted, gave up and returned home. Not seconds after they entered the house, the landline phone rang. Sips answered it, as his mom was passed out drunk on the sofa.

"Underscore household, Sips speaking."

A man's voice said, "Yes I'm calling for the state. It's news about your bills."

Sips' face went dark. "I thought we had a month left to pay those..." Xephos, Sjin, Ridge, and Honeydew's expressions changed from confused to concerned.

The man continued, "That's the thing. A neon pink haired kid with glowing green eyes and goggles, presumably the infamous Neon Boy, just walked in and paid off all your fees, as well as anything due in the next few years. That's all I needed to tell you. Have a nice day."


	5. Read the Chapter Notes PLZ

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lalna finds creative ways to escape the wrath of Rythian, only to run straight into the arms of Sips.
> 
> This guy never seems to get a break.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm still like totally lost and confused but oh well.
> 
> And I apologize for the super short chapters, but I write them from an iPad, and the screen is much smaller than a laptop's!
> 
> Also, I am so sorry for how late this is! Y'all know how homework can be...

Lalna thanked Lomadia for the ride, and watched as she sped off on the motorcycle. He had made sure to get rid the neon stuff before jumping off.

Before Lalna had a chance to even take a step, he was grabbed and held by the collar. Lalna looked up to see a severely cross Rythian.

"Oh... hey... Ryth..."

Rythian glared at him and growled, "Lalna... What the FUCK did we tell you.." Lalna could only smile back. "It's a long and complicated story... and I know you want to kick my ass, but it seems we're surrounded by the public."

It was true. Today was a rather lovely day, and just about everyone was outside. Any kind of violence in such a crowded area was a definite "NO."

Rythian rolled his eyes. "Then I'll drag you back to the fucking house." Lalna gave him a sly grin and whispered, "Yeah but if you try dragging me anywhere I will scream 'RAPE' as loud as I possibly can." Rythian growled, but realized he couldn't win.

"You're lucky... you are UNBELIEVABLY lucky that we're outside... As soon as we aren't though...." He leaned in too close for Lalna's comfort and whispered, "You're DEAD."

Lalna gulped and nodded slowly. "Right... ermm... I guess I'll avoid any solitary moments with you..." He tried to shuffle back slightly, but Rythian had a solid grip.

"Oh no. You aren't going ANYWHERE. We're waiting."

Lalna looked away slightly, and muttered, "Rythian... you aren't REALLY going to..... are you?" Rythian grimaced and replied, "Lalna... You could have gotten yourself killed. Walking out there, doing that stuff... it's a fucking death wish! Zoeya and I told you to stay inside for a reason, Lalna. And then you go off and do... who KNOWS what?! I care about you, and I don't want you going out and doing that shit when we SPECIFICALLY told you not to. And now I'm fucking pissed." Lalna frowned and spat, "You're not my goddamn parents, Ryth! I can take care of myself!"

He finally managed to push Rythian away, and stumbled back slightly in the process. "I think it's amazing that you two care about me... because that's NEVER happened before. And I don't care if I get caught, I deserve it! All the things I've done.. the laws I've broken and the families I've crushed... I'm the bad guy, Ryth. The VILLAIN! If I get caught, it's simply justice!" Rythian lunged forward again and grabbed Lalna by the shoulders. He shook him violently and whisper-shouted, "Listen to yourself! Cut that shit out! Lalna, you shut the fuck up. No. You LISTEN.TO. ME. You're wonderful, and don't you even DARE call yourself the bad guy. Lalna, you are far from it. Just... I'm still going to have to beat the shit out of you, but it's because I lo.. care about you, and don't want like the bullshit you get yourself into."

Lalna rolled his eyes and held his head, no doubt due to the brutal shake Rythian gave. "Right. You're going to pummel me because you care about me. That makes BEAUTIFUL sense! Rythian, you should run for Mayor!" He sighed and pushed Rythian's arms away from his shoulders. "Why did you even talk to me anyways? Better yet, why did you STAY? The weird, 'mute' kid that always sat alone. Who you later found out, was actually Tekkit City's most wanted. Knight Peculiar, the Neon Boy!" Rythian slapped a hand to his mouth and hissed, "Not so loud, Lalna! We're surrounded by pedestrians! They might hear you!"

Lalna frowned. Rythian screamed, and pulled his hand away immediately. "OH, FUCKING DISGUSTING LALNA!" Lalna laughed, and wiped a sleeve across his mouth. "Sorry Ryth, but you can't go anywhere near there and get away with it." Rythian vigorously rubbed his own hand on the purple scarf around his neck. "Doesn't mean you have to fucking LICK me, you bloody child!" Lalna simply shrugged and did a 180, facing away from Rythian. "You also don't need to choke me with your sandwich fingers."

Rythian frowned. "Well it was the fastest way to... wait, SANDWICH fingers?" Lalna nodded slowly and said, "Yes. Sandwich fingers. Your hand tastes like a week old sub sandwich from that Firehouse Subs place. A number five, no mustard or lettuce, extra cheese." Rythian gaped at him. "How.. why... Whaaaat..,? Actually, I'm done with questioning you."

He grinned, still facing away. "I'll see you Monday, Rythian." Before Rythian knew it, Lalna was off, dodging anyone in his path with agility and expertise.

Rythian cursed, and flung his head up. Zoeya, who had gone inside for a moment to grab something, slid back out empty handed. "Hey Ryth, did Lalna come back y..." She halted immediately upon noticing his expression. "Rythian...? Did something happen?"

He nodded and looked down at her. "Lalna showed up, acted like a bratty bitch, and bolted off again." Zoyea nodded her head slowly. "Sounds like something Lalna WOULD do... I'm not surprised...." Rythian grimaced and said in a low, spine-chilling voice, "Well I'm going to make sure he regrets it." Zoeya's eyes widened as she whirled her head to face him. "R..Rythian?" He continues staring ahead. "I don't WANT to... but Lalna has to realize that what he's doing is going to get him killed. He hasn't got parents to teach him that, so we should. I don't want to see him arrested, or even worse, executed. I don't want to see it, Zoeya. He didn't listen to our reasoning, so now he has to learn the hard way. That's how it's always been for me, and that's what we're going to do."

Zoeya smacked Rythian's arm and countered, "Ryth, we aren't Lalna's parents or anything! He'll learn from his own mistakes! Rythian, I will not allow you to hit Lalna in any way, shape, or form! Instead of doing that, let's just try talking to him again! Try to show him how serious we are about this..."

Rythian rolled his eyes, but sighed and nodded. "Fine." But he knew, there'd be a time, when Zoeya wouldn't be around the two of them. At school, maybe? Zoeya can't come in the boy's locker room, and Rythian knew for SURE that he and Lalna were always te last two in there. ~~He totally doesn't spy on Lalna or anything, who's locker is on the completely opposite side of the room~~

Lalna, on the other hand, was currently running still, trying desperately to avoid anyone in the way. Sadly though, reality just seems to hate Lalna. With a passion.

He slammed into a pedestrian, both he and the mystery person collapsing to the ground. Lalna groaned and rubbed his head, the stranger doing something similar. Lalna looked up at them, suppressing a gasp. It was Sips, of course, leader of his hate club. This could only go well.

Sips clutched his stomach and heaved a bit, after getting slammed into pretty hard. "Oogh... L-Lalna?"

Lalna nodded and mumbled quietly, "Oh my god Sips I'm so sorry I didn't see you there and.." 

"Nah, I'm fine, don't worry about it," Sips butt in, cutting Lalna short. "I'm fine. What were you doing, running around blindly and all?"

"Uh..." Lalna thought for a moment. He couldn't tell Sips the truth of course. "I was just... Running. Not for... any particular reason."

Sips raised an eye brow and tilted his head slightly. "Lalna... is there something you aren't telling me?"

He shook his head. "N-no... I'm sorry... sorry I'm not good with people..." Sips rolled his eyes and gave Lalna a pat on the shoulder.

"Right. I understand. Just, watch where you're going next time."

Well that went better than expected.


	6. Eye For an Eye

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some shizzle goes down.
> 
> Uh
> 
> Yeah.

Sips didn't have the time to question why Lalna was running around. So he stood up, and reached out a hand to pull Lalna off the ground. Lalna took his hand slowly, and Sips helped him up.

"Well, see you Monday, Lalna."

He turned and strode off, leaving the blonde in a state of confusion. Was Sips really that uninterested…?

Actually, no. Sips was pretty curious. He probably would have stayed to ask more questions, even. But, now was not the time. He was making his was down to the courthouse, for the sole purpose of finding out what really happened. Neon Kid paid off all his fees just like that without a reason? Hah. He didn't think so. Sips was no moron. He wouldn't let this slide. He'd find out the truth behind this. Sips knows that happy endings don't come that easy. You gotta WORK for those things. He's always had to work for his happy endings.

This was no exception.

So while Lalna continued to stand there in a state of utter blankness, Sips simply left the scene, dead set on solving this mystery once and for all.

~Whoop Whoop time skip time~

After Lalna's little spin of confusion, he became even MORE confused. His main thought patterns consisted of, "Wait… what? What just happened? Where do I go now? Back to Zoeya and Rythian…? Um, fucking no, he'll beat the shit out of me. I guess I could just go back to the house…"

Lalna continued to stand there, looking the equivalent of a wasted gorilla on crack. Okay probably not but I really wanted to write that sentence. And it wasn't until a very tired looking Lily decided to whack him over the head with a bag of over-priced school textbooks did he actually change his dazed expression. Lalna, once again on the ground, let out a string of curse words while rubbing his head. Lily had practically zero expression other than a slight frown, even though she JUST gave her friend a concussion. Lalna sat up, and glared at her. "What the hell was that for?!" Lily shrugged, before slinging the bag back over her shoulder. "You looked like you were possessed." 

Lalna sighed before pulling himself to his feet again while mumbling, "I've been pushed to the ground TOO MUCH today…" under his breath. He brushed out his hoodie while asking the girl, "What are you doing out here, anyways?" Lily sighed.

"We're out of ice cream. I just came out to get some more for us. Littlewood was throwing a hissy fit, and Lomadia was sitting in the corner, growling like a dog. If I had stayed in that house any longer, I'm at least ninety percent sure they'd tear me to shreds."

Lalna shook his head and facepalmed. "You guys are like children. Just absolute toddlers. I can't leave the house for a SINGLE DAY without you guys accidentally starting some kind of nuclear war!" He frowned and started walking back towards their house. He paused and added over his shoulder, "Don't forget the vanilla." Lily laughed a bit, and nodded. "You got it, boss." Lalna grinned and resumed his journey, as Lily sped off towards the market.

Rythian and Zoeya decided that Lalna could just go do whatever the fuck he wanted. Well Zoeya actually forgot about him, while Rythian was keeping his motives a secret. If Zoeya figured out what he was planning, he was SURE she'd give him some kind of hour-long lecture on how they weren't Lalna's parents, and how he had to make his own choices and learn to be "responsible", blah blah all of that bullshit insanity. Rythian knew damn well they weren't his parents! After all, his parents were shot dead! It's just that, Rythian really cared for Lalna and his safety. So he wasn't about to let him run around and get himself hurt! Rythian paused and frowned again. Not at Lalna, but at the thought of his own… well… thoughts. Was he seriously doing this? Rythian tried to remember Lalna's expression when he had grabbed him by the collar. He remembered that all he saw was just… fear. He couldn't see his eyes, but Rythian could still tell that Lalna was scared shitless when that happened.

He paused for a moment, wondering if he was being a BIT over-the-top (Umm YEAH). Rythian groaned and rubbed the back of his head. "Welp… he probably hates me now… with a passion… probably terrified of me too. God dammit…" 

Lalna wasn't actually sure how he felt about what happened with Rythian. I mean, yeah, he was a bit aggressive, but maybe he should have listened to him… Maybe he shouldn't have gone out again like that… Wait, no. That's what he DID! Rythian's the wrong one, not him!

Lalna frowned and muttered, "Isn't what I do with my time MY decision? I've been doing this for years, and I'm not going to let some Emo Slenderman ruin it…"

***

Later that night, everyone was back in their respective homes asleep nobody could get to sleep. Rythian was too worried about Lalna. Zoeya was being forced to listen to her phone ringing over and over again, as Rythian called her repeatedly to, big surprise, rant about how worried he was. Sjin was helping Sips to create a map of the city, to track the Neon Boy's movements and street patterns. Ridgedog, Xephos, and Honeydew were all hyped up on coffee, skittering around the room like happy little squirrel people. And finally, Lalna. Or shall we say, Knight Peculiar? He was in the alleyway, which led to the Neon's house. Currently, Lalna was explaining that night's agenda to the other Neon Kids."

"Ok, Latent. You'll go uptown. Strike anything that suits your fancy. Phoenix, you and Geo ride downtown and mark anything you fucking want. I'll be in the park. Tonight is a night of free for all."

The other Neons nodded, before slipping off to do what they do best. Raise hell and destroy everything.

Sips looked over the map, mumbling quietly under his breath. He took a thick red marker and drew an 'X' where they first encountered the Neon Boy. "If we met him here…" Sips drew a line from the X and into the trees. "…and he and the other Neon fuck sped this way.." Sips continued to draw out lines, where they had seen the Neons. "…Then they would most likely be…" He circled an area which showed a mass of something green. "…In the public park."

Xephos frowned, while still bouncing up and down from his caffeine high. "SipsAreYouSureThatHe'dBeThere???11!!?//?" Sips turned to him and frowned. "Yes. At least seventy percent sure." He glanced over at Honeydew and Ridge, both chewing on… pillows? Sips frowned and facepalmed. "You guys… you guys just go home, ok? Sjin and I will handle this."

The three of them nodded rapidly, before zipping up the stairs, and out of his house. Sips turned to Sjin and grinned. "Pack your bags, we're going to catch a Neon Boy."

***

Lalna sat on a park bench, resting after he painted all of the trees. It was actually a beautiful sight to be honest, glittering and shining under the moonlight. It's just a shame that the only colors Lalna has are pink and green. Maybe he'll have to change that…

Sips and Sjin slunk along in the dark, Sips frowning as he took in the detail of each tree. "Disgusting… he's ruined the trees with his stupid paint…" Sjin nodded silently in agreement, not paying too close of attention to what Sips had said. He was occupied with being absolutely awed in how amazing the painted trees looked. How did that Neon kid manage all of this already…? It's only 10:00 PM. Either this kid is a speed demon, or something paranormal is going on here. Hmm…

Well whatever Sjin was thinking, he was probably wrong. Lalna wasn't magical, nor was he a Speedy Gonzales. Really, he's just some kid that loves art. When you set your mind to it, you can learn how to use spray paint cans like a boss. Especially when it's the only past time you have.

Lalna leaned back on the park bench, and relaxed, closing his eyes. 

If only that peace would last.

Lalna felt his arms being forcibly pulled behind him. His only thoughts were, "GAH WHAT?!?!...Oh fuck not them again…" He struggled as Sjin held his arms tightly. Sips strode out in front of Lalna, grinning maliciously. "Well, well, well. Who do we have here…?~" Sips moved forward, inches from Lalna's face. "Looks like the Neon Boy, hmm? That's good news for us, but not you. Because…" 

Lalna didn't expect anything major to happen. That was, until, Sips pulled out a knife. And not just your standard, kitchen butter knife. A large, sharp, butcher's knife. THIS, ladies and gentlemen, was when Lalna started freaking the fuck you. 

He stared at the knife in shocked silence, before trying to get away from Sjin again. Sjin laughed, and simply pulled his arms tighter. Sips hissed, "Not this time, fucker." With one swift movement, Sips leaped forward, and drove the blade straight into Lalna's face. The right eye, to be exact.

Oh Dear.

Lalna screeched, and swung his legs out. He managed to nail Sips in the stomach, who fell over in agony while yelling a variety of swear words. Sjin immediately let go of Lalna in shock, and ran to help Sips. Lalna took this moment of chaos to run for it. He ran in pain, almost passing out from the feeling in his face. Lalna wasn't sure how much blood he'd lose from this, but didn't really want to find out. He then sighed as he realized that being a Neon meant he couldn't actually go to any hospital.

…Yay…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AGH OK SORRY
> 
> So this took... longer than expected umm crap sorry guys I'm such a sh*t writer EEEEEENNNNNGGGGGG I'm soooooorrreeeee


	7. Update!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just a message

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hold onto your pants

**Hello, Latent here, author of That One Kid (obviously).**

**Holy crap the kudos and comments have reached crazy levels. Uh oh God I have nothing else to say other than... Thank you!**

**I honestly wasn't expecting this story to be that good, but, apparently it was! I'm honestly shocked!**

***Adjusts glasses and falls over more book piles***

**Ok a few small things I thought you'd like to know.**

**This story will NOT be an unfinished masterpiece! It will be done!!! ...Eventually.... *Sigh* Yes, I HAVE started the next chapter. And I am currently writing it now. It gets fluffy, finally. Though I think the only reason I continue it is because my good friend kind of... forces me a bit. If it weren't for her y'all wouldn't get any chapters! Haha, funny. Anyways, I have some sad news.**

**I won't be updated this story until school ends.**

Now **before you get your suits stuffed lemme just say that school ends in less than 20 days so shush.**

**I decided that I needed as much time as possible with this chapter (as it's the longest one in the story!) and I want to make it really good for you all! I decided to be nice though and give you sneak peek.**

**WARNING: SPOILERS (Duh)**

 

"Really… I-I'm fine…"

Geo ran off to grab some medical supplies from upstairs while saying, "Peculiar. You are NOT fine. And the situation is NOT OK. You were attacked, and that is a bad thing. You're missing an eye, and that is a bad thing. Let us help, relax, and just-"

Lalna cut him off. "Geo really. I don't relax."

Latent growled at him. "Sit the fuck down you improbable little brat!!"

Lalna's eye(s) widened, and he put his hands up. "Ok, ok! Sheesh! Calm down, will you?"

"You were stabbed in the-!!"

"YES I KNOW I WAS STABBED IN THE FACE, CAN WE PLEASE DROP THE SUBJECT NOW?! It doesn’t exactly help the situation if you all keep reminding me of how fucked up my face is now! If you REALLY want to help, maybe you could help Geo get medical supplies or something. INSETAD OF YELLING AT ME, YOU COULD TRY TO LEGITIMATELY HELP ME!!"

This shut the two girls up. Phoenix nodded, while Latent lowered her head.

"Sorry Peculiar…"

Lalna sighed and rubbed the side of his head. "It's fine… just… I'm sorry, I'm just a bit confused and upset right now. I don’t want to talk about it."

**So stay tuned you beautiful people, for Chapter Seven, "Deus Ex Machina"!!**

**Auf Wiedersehen!!!**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope your pants survived.


	8. Deus Ex Machina

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Well shit goes down again

(Behold, the longest chapter in this story. And Sadly, it's also the last.)

Lalna finally decided to just go home and see what the others could do for him. If hospitals were out of the question, his Neons were his best bet. Lalna couldn't possibly go to RYTHIAN for help, because who KNOWS how he'd react to this… He was sure that Rythian would probably kill him. Literally. Lalna shuddered a bit, thinking of that. He kept his hand over his wound, and tried not to faint. He tore off a bit of fabric from his clothes, balled it up, shoved it into his goggles, and slipped them onto his face. If anything, it'll help slow the heavy flow of blood. 

Lalna eventually made his way to the house, where the others had already gathered for the night. The waved to him as he came in, then immediately ran over once they saw what condition he was in. 

Latent grabbed his shoulders and yelled, "What in the name of all that we care about happened to you?!"

Lalna sighed and answered, "I was attacked, ok? Not that big of a deal."

"NOT THAT BIG OF A DEAL?!" Phoenix shrieked, and joined Latent in the shoulder shake. "Peculiar, you are missing an eye! AN EYE! I know you like to be tough and all, but this is an exception. This is a big deal!!" 

"Really… I-I'm fine…"

Geo ran off to grab some medical supplies from upstairs while saying, "Peculiar. You are NOT fine. And the situation is NOT OK. You were attacked, and that is a bad thing. You're missing an eye, and that is a bad thing. Let us help, relax, and just-"

Lalna cut him off. "Geo really. I don't relax."

Latent growled at him. "Sit the fuck down you improbable little brat!!" 

Lalna's eye widened, and he put his hands up. "Ok, ok! Sheesh! Calm down, will you?"

"You were stabbed in the-!!"

"YES I KNOW I WAS STABBED IN THE FACE, CAN WE PLEASE DROP THE SUBJECT NOW?! It doesn’t exactly help the situation if you all keep reminding me of how fucked up my face is now! If you REALLY want to help, maybe you could help Geo get medical supplies or something. INSETAD OF YELLING AT ME, YOU COULD TRY TO LEGITIMATELY HELP ME!!"

This shut the two girls up. Phoenix nodded, while Latent lowered her head.

"Sorry Peculiar…"

Lalna sighed and rubbed the side of his head. "It's fine… just… I'm sorry, I'm just a bit confused and upset right now. I don’t want to talk about it."

They nodded slowly in understanding. The girls backed out of the room slowly. Geo entered again, holding a box of medical equipment. "Heya, Peculiar.."Lalna rolled his eyes, and frowned slightly. "You know you can call me Lalna now, right Littlewood?" Littlewood nodded a bit. "Uh… right… sorry…" He shuffled over to Lalna awkwardly, clutching the box. "Do you uh… need anything in specific…?" Lalna groaned."Littlewood honestly, why are you having such difficulty talking to me? I may be a bit snappy, but after a long night, who isn't? I was stabbed in the eye by someone I call my best friend. Big deal. I just need something to wrap it in, but only after disinfecting it. Ok? Nothing major. So please, calm down."Littlewood nodded again. "Right… Right, yeah! I guess I'm just a… bit worried about you."Lalna tilted his head to the right. "Worried about me? Whatever for, I'm totally fine!""I.…You.. You always do this…""Do wha-"Little wood frowned and cut him off. "You always… get into trouble. You always get too close to the enemy. You worry the team sick Lalna, doing what you do. Being a bit too dangerous, getting too close to the action. Yeah it usually works out in your favor, but this time you got stabbed! It…" Littlewood sighed, and rubbed his temples. "It pisses me off how subtle you are about it. Oh, hah, I was stabbed in the FUCKING EYEBALL, AND NOW I'M HALF BLIND. NO BIGGIE!!! Please stop, Lalna! We're tearing our hair out over here!!! You're not even CRYING, dude! The three of us… our missions went off without any snags. You were STABBED. Yet we're the ones worrying? I mean… you just… you just confuse us…"Littlewood set the box down, and walked to the staircase. Before running up he whispered, 

"It's OK to cry, Lalna."

Lalna watched as Littlewood disappeared into the upstairs. He was confused now, and felt awkward. Did Littlewood just… yell at him…?  
As Lalna bandaged his eye, he only had one thought on his mind. What the actual fuck?

Monday Morning

 

Lalna walked to school on his own, goggles strapped snuggly to his face. Hopefully, just hopefully, Rythian wouldn't pull off his goggles and see the bandages.

Hopefully.

Lalna expected he'd beat the shit out of him. He was prepared for that. 

However he would NOT be prepared for the events that came today. 

He slipped into the building silently as always, avoiding the gaze of everyone he passed. Lalna even took a detour down the wrong hallway to avoid his friends. There would be no chit chat today. He wasn't in the mood.Today's first class would be… PE. To the locker room he went.

(Hang on to your banana costumes folks, it's about to get aggressively shippy.)

Lalna, of course, was the last one in there. Or he THOUGHT he was. He didn't notice the Rythian, stalking him from around the corner lockers. Lalna hummed quietly to himself, no tune in particular, as Rythian slid closer to him. 

Lalna stuffed his regular clothes into his locker, and closed it. And of course, Rythian was standing RIGHT there, behind the door. Lalna let out a high-pitched screech, and flailed his arms around while falling backwards. Rythian caught him by the wrist, and pulled him back up."Lalna."Lalna smiled a bit nervously. "Eheh.. Hey… Ryth…"Rythian twisted his mouth under his scarf in a scowl. "Don't you 'hey Ryth' me, mister. Not after what you did.""What I-"Rythian cut him off with a hand to the mouth. "YES, what you did! How could you just run off like that, I was-" Rythian paused and corrected himself to, "Zoeya and I were worried sick about you!!! What the hell man, you can't just run off like that!!!"Rythian removed his hand, and Lalna attempted to choke out an apology."I-I'm really sorry Rythian…"Rythian gripped Lalna's wrists tighter and growled, "Sorry's not going to cut it…"Lalna gulped. "Rythian please…"Rythian narrowed his eyes. "Lalna, what can I do to teach you that what you're doing is fucking stupid, and that you need to take better care of yourself?! Because something tells me it isn't discipline!"Lalna glared at Rythian, but Rythian could barely tell. 

"Why do you care what I do at night?! I'm an orphan Ryth, I have no family! You and Zoeya are probably the only things I could relate to friends, and all you two do is yell at me! So what I put my life on the line each night?! Nobody cares about me.."Rythian's expression softened."Oh Lalna.…" 

He lifted his hand to the side of Lalna's face. "I care about you."

Before Lalna could say another word, Rythian pulled him into a passionate kiss. (Commence your squealing!)Lalna had no idea what just happened. One second Rythian was yelling, the next he was kissing him, and now he's left him alone. Lalna watched Rythian as he bolted from the locker room, not even giving him a chance to react to the kiss. He just stood there, blushing like mad, feeling flustered and confused. Did that just… happen?

Lalna shook his head rapidly, to gather his bearings. "What…even…???"

He exited the locker room, legs shaking, head swimming. 

Rythian managed to avoid him the ENTIRE PE class. Lalna had too many questions to ask him. Most of them consisted of the phrase "What the fuck?" somewhere in them. Though… something about the situation made Lalna feel a weird giddy-happiness.

He wasn't sure if he wanted to smack Rythian, or if he wanted Rythian to kiss him again.

Probably both.

Lalna's next class ironically didn't have Rythian in it. The ONE person he had questions for, was not in his class.

However, a certain gray-skinned teen with behavioral issues WAS. And he sat right next to Lalna, in the back, by the windows. Lalna did his best to ignore Sips, but his efforts would render useless as his desk-buddy was interested in conversation.

"Hey Lalna." Sips greeted with a smile on his face. "What's up?"Lalna resisted the urge to say, "Oh nothing much. Just getting stabbed in the face by my best friends and then being KISSED by the one I thought would MURDER me."

Instead he replied quietly, "Oh uh… not much…"

Sips nodded, accepting this answer. It felt like a lie, but he accepted it. For now. 

The bell rang three minutes later, right as their teacher walked in. 

Mr. Strife stood in the front of the room, and clapped his hands together. "Ok class! Since we've just finished our last project, it seems time that we start a new one. I'll be assigning you partners." Then with a scowl he added, "Don't even TRY begging for partners because I've already made the list. I'll read it now, so that you can start immediately. All of the instructions are printed on the sheets that I will be passing out, shortly after reading the list."

Lalna didn't care much who he got paired with. Littlewood was in this same class as well. If he got paired with HIM, the whole ordeal would be made SO much easier. 

But luck wasn't finding Lalna today.

He was one of the last people called. The only students remaining were Littlewood, himself, Sips, and Teep. Teep was a good friend of Rythian and Zoeya's. Lalna used to be besties with him, back when their parents worked together. For some reason or another, Teep, at age thirteen, was in the high school classes. If Lalna were paired with him, he supposed it would be alright. 

Not much talking would be done, since Teep is mute and Lalna just… refuses to speak.

"And finally," Mr. Strife read. "Littlewood and Teep, Lalna and Sips."

Lalna could actually feel his soul curl up and die inside him. Littlewood whipped his head to Lalna so fast he could have gotten whiplash. The two incognito Neons exchanged expressions of pure "Oh Fuck."

Sips was completely unaware.

"Oh hey we're partners, Lal! Cool!"

Lalna forced a smile, clenching his fists and driving his boots into the floor, all while slowly going insane.

This would NOT end well. 

Lalna sighed and thought, 'Well let's hope Sips is as stupid as we all think he is.'

For the rest of class, Sips and Lalna talked and wrote out complex number patterns. Their job was to build a coffee-stick structure that could withstand fifty pounds of weight. Sips believed it to be impossible, though Lalna was smart enough to know otherwise. He explained to Sips that with the right design, measurements, and supports, they could actually manage it. So the two of them sat in those same seats for a two hour long class, drawing blueprints and deciding where to put specific supports.

Luckily for Lalna, this was the last class of the school day. Mondays usually felt endless, but this time it flew by!

Lalna stood in front of his locker, stuffing his books inside and pulling out his backpack. 

Unluckily for Lalna, Sips walked up to him. Doesn't matter WHAT he had to say. Any encounters like this with Sips was immediate bad luck.

"Hey Lalna, are you free after school? The project is literally due in four days, and I think we could use all the time we can get."

Lalna nodded reluctantly. "Erm… yeah… I am."Sips smiled at him. "Cool! We'll walk to my house together, sound good?"Lalna nodded again, and forced another smile back. "Mhmm." 

Now he'll NEVER get to speak to Rythian… ugh.

The two "friends" started their journey to Sips' house, a ten minute walk from the school building. After a moment of silence Sips asked, 

"Hey Lalna… weird question, but what color are your eyes?"  
Lalna blinked under his goggles and almost stopped walking. "M-My eyes…?? They're just green, why?"

"I dunno… I guess I was just curious. Like, how come you never take off those googles?" Sips poked at them. "Sorry if I'm being weird, it just confuses me.""Erm.…well I guess I just don't like taking them off.."

"Cool, cool… I'll respect that."

Sips and Lalna continued walking along the sidewalk in awkward silence. Their original ten minutes began feeling like ten hours. Lalna felt as if they'd NEVER reach Sips' house. As If he'd be forced to shuffle along next to him for the most uncomfortable eternity ever.

But finally, they arrived. Sips' face lit up at the sight of a car, parked on the driveway.

Lalna felt that something was familiar about this car. He couldn't remember why though.

Sips squealed and ran inside the house yelling, "Dad's home!!!!"

Lalna felt a slight pang of sadness. He still missed his dad, and his mom and brother. He tried to ignore the feeling, and followed Sips inside.

He could hear a conversation, going on in the kitchen. Most likely Sips and his father. Something about the older man's voice made him feel a depressed kind of nostalgia.   
Lalna slid into the kitchen behind Sips, and almost died right then and there. Sips turned and frowned at Lalna, who was standing there frozen, mouth dropped. Sips waved his arms in front of his face.

"Hey. Lalna. You alright there?"

He continued waving his arms, until finally he gave up and just ripped Lalna's goggles off his head.

Sips dropped them to the floor in shock, upon seeing his bright green eye and his bandages. 

Lalna fell backwards, nearly choking on his own spit. He knew Sips' dad.

It's an appropriate action at this point really. How would you react, if you came face to face with the man who gave the order gunned down your family?

(That's actually the end.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh my God I am so sorry about these chapters and how often I DIDN'T UPDATE. God I started this around what… Christmas? This is only the seventh -and final- chapter, and it's fuckin JUNE Anyways, thank you SO MUCH for all the love you've given this story!!!!!!!


	9. Sequel Announcement

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> *Sigh*

HAI FRIENDS

As many of you know, I pulled a bitch move. 

Sorry 'bout that!

So here's your announcement, I shall be writing a sequel.

 

Keep your pants on.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope y'all are happy XD


	10. I Think I Know Him

Welp, it's official!

 

 

I have nearly finished the first chapter of the sequel to this story. If you ship Rythna as much as I do, you'll be VERY happy to read it.

 

Now.

 

STAY TUNED, BECAUSE IN ABOUT TWO DAYS OR SO I WILL BE POSTING IT.

 

I Think I Know Him; _Nostalgia._


	11. Posted

I POSTED THE SEQUEL, DID IT WORK?

IF IT DIDN'T IMMA CRY.


End file.
